repurposed from first
old scars build identities
each mark retells use
a nail hole, scorch, and scrape marks
makes the temporary last
worthless things endure
when no one fears a new scar
so they serve again
reuse imbibes resonance
purpose hums in harmony
second-hand uses
never quite fit for purpose
yet their blemishes
give the makeshift things their charm
like sharing with an old friend
afterthoughts retained
stand-ins outlive their first lives
makeshift afterlives
roles we never intended
making do among old mates
old fence board scrap piles
become sign, doorstep, bridge, shelf
never intended
each new role remembers what
the plank has otherwise been
old bricks become steps
envelopes list the shopping
stone weighs down papers
small duties engender things
discarded from grander roles
jam jar catches spoons
then pencils, screws and buttons
clear glass exhibits
each new cargo quaintly held
with ghosts of what came before
railway sleepers rest
unrailed from thundering past
holding garden earth
old tire swing beneath a tree
still remembering the road
given one more go
the second-hand resonance
creates harmony
nothing used ever forgets—
first choices humming within